Skip to Content
Long-Baked Pumpernickel

Long-Baked Pumpernickel

The oven’s long conversation with rye
Author:
Austin Welsh-Graham
| Source:
The Toasty Book of Bread
Categories: The Toasty Book of Bread Regional Route Cooking Method Main Material Leavening Collection Bread Form
Tags: Northern and Eastern Europe Oven-baked Rye Sourdough The Toasty Book of Bread Tin loaf
Ingredients
25 g Rye sourdough starter (100% hydration.)175 g Cracked rye (Fine-to-medium.)175 g Water (Sour.)100 g Whole rye berries75 g Cracked rye75 g Water (For seperate soak.)275 g Cracked rye (Extra fine-to-medium.)75 g Water (Final.)11 g Fine salt60 g Dark syrup10 g Neutral oil (For tin.)10 g Water (For berry cooking.)
Description

Some breads ask you to watch a brief transformation. A sheet inflates, a score opens or a crust colours. Pumpernickel asks for an arrangement that lasts most of a day. Its dark, moist slice gives the oven a different role in the story of grain.

A close-textured rye loaf made on a multi-day plan, with a long, gentle bake and time to settle before slicing. Makes 1 large loaf, about 1.2-1.4 kg baked.

Recipe
Preferment and starter preparation
1
Mix starter, sour rye and sour water. Cover 16-24 hours at 21-24 °C. Separately soak 75 g rye in its water overnight in the fridge.
Preparation
1
Simmer berries in ample water about 1 hour until tender. Drain, cool. Combine with sour, soak and remaining ingredients. Mix well, rest 30 minutes.
Shaping and layering
1
Pack into oiled tin, no more than half full. Smooth, cover and prove about 3 hours until visibly expanded.
Cooking
1
Brush with water. Cover tin with two snug layers of foil to retain moisture. Bake 1 hour at 150 °C, then 15 hours at 120 °C. Do not use sealed jars.
Cooling and serving
1
Rest in switched-off oven 1 hour. Unmould, cool and wait at least 24 hours before slicing.
Notes

Prepare on day 1, bake on day 2, slice day 3 or 4. About 16 hours in the oven. A 3-litre metal loaf tin, foil and saucepan. Contains rye.

Plan the long bake

Use fine-to-medium cracked rye. If yours is very coarse, replace half of each cracked-rye quantity with wholemeal rye flour, as the source advises. Follow your oven's instructions for prolonged use and plan supervision. This is a home version, not a claim to the protected regional designation.

Austin Welsh-Graham 3 November 2026
Share this recipe

Share

Tags
Northern and Eastern Europe Oven-baked Rye Sourdough The Toasty Book of Bread Tin loaf
Our archives
Archive